Support for Military
Quick guidance & answers
After months of planning and preparing for your military PCS, you’ve finally arrived at your new destination. Now it’s time to settle in to your new home and community.
Whether you’re arriving on your own or with family, Military OneSource offers a number of resources and services to help you engage with your new military community so you can get settled and into the swing of things more quickly — from recreation and education to employment and more.
Before you PCS, you should be assigned a sponsor at your new duty station. They are typically assigned through your unit and are similar in rank, role or life situation. Sponsors can be especially helpful for single service members who are looking to make connections in their new communities.
Sponsors normally contact you well before you arrive, making your transition easier. Once you arrive, they can be a friendly face with knowledge and experience who can make those critical first introductions, guide you to important resources and on- and off-installation activities, and give you an insider’s perspective of your new duty station and the social and recreational opportunities available in your community.
If you haven’t already been contacted by a sponsor, you can request one through your local Military and Family Support Center. Learn more about relocation assistance.
Learn more about how sponsors can help during your PCS move.
If you’re living OCONUS, your sponsor can offer guidance on cultural adjustment, language tips, spouse employment and more. Find helpful information to build confidence at your new duty station from this Living Overseas MilLife Guide.
Sponsors can provide guidance about essential post-move tasks and help you:
If you have children, the Youth Sponsorship Program can help them get settled both at school and in the community.
Youth sponsorship programs help children participate in familiar activities and meet other military-connected children, easing their transition into the new environment. Keep in mind that children can experience a range of emotions during a move. They may feel anxious about starting a new school or making friends. As a parent, listen to them, reassure them and support them as they adjust.
The Relocation Assistance Program on your installation can help you embrace your new community. These programs, offered through your installation’s local Military and Family Support Center, provide consultations on topics ranging from housing and child care to spouse employment and stress management.
Your local Relocation Assistance Program specialists can help with everything from predeparture briefings and newcomer orientations to information on child care, spouse employment and more.
Some of the services available through the Relocation Assistance Program include:
If you need child care, Relocation Assistance Programs can connect you to military child care programs, including:
It’s important to know that you don’t need official orders to request child care — be sure to start that process as soon as you know where you’ll be going.
The Relocation Assistance Program can inform you about installation activities and help you set up utilities like phone, TV, internet and trash removal. If you live on installation, basic utilities are usually included. If you live off the installation, you’ll need to arrange these services yourself. Some companies offer military family discounts, so be sure to ask.
Relocation services vary by location, so contact your local Military and Family Support Center for more info on what’s available.
If you’re looking for answers to your pre-K through 12th grade education questions, your installation school liaison can support you and your student before, during and after a military PCS move, helping make transitions smoother.
School liaisons are located at every installation and serve as the main contact for military families, local school systems and installation command.
Contact your local school liaison for help with your child’s school transition or other educational needs.
Your local school liaisons can help with homeschooling options and provide eligibility information and enrollment support for both Department of Defense Education Activity, or DoDEA, schools and public and private schools alike. They can also help with educational issues associated with overseas living, including transfer of credits and finding extracurricular activities.
The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, an agreement among all 50 states and the District of Columbia, makes changing public schools easier for military-connected children by reducing common school-related challenges that can come with a military move.
School liaisons are experts in understanding Interstate Compact regulations and how they apply to your child’s specific situation. They can help with:
School liaisons help families with special education enrollment steps, coordinate with local school districts and explain how education supports may continue at the new duty station.
The Exceptional Family Member Program provides comprehensive support and services to military families with special medical or educational needs. When you’re enrolled in EFMP, the program helps ensure your child’s documented education needs are considered during assignment coordination and can connect you with installation-based EFMP Family Support to assist with education planning and community resources.
Together, school liaisons and EFMP Family Support staff:
School liaisons know the local schools and community and can help ensure your child’s educational needs are met. They also work closely with Military OneSource education consultants who can assist with:
To help children get settled, reach out to your school liaison for youth sponsorship information or visit your installation’s youth programs, schools and parks to help your child connect with peers and activities.
The Armed Services YMCA offers programs designed to help military families build networks of support, especially junior enlisted service members and their families. These programs create chances to meet other military families and learn tools to navigate the unique challenges of military life.
Some key Armed Services YMCA programs include:
In addition to these YMCA programs, don’t hesitate to get out and explore your new community. Your sponsor can help you find local activities to match your family’s interests. Installation events, youth programs and local parks are great ways to settle in and make connections.
Connect with fellow military families as you hit the links, go bowling or play basketball with your children at the recreation center. MWR programs offer sports leagues, fitness classes, trips and social events that make it easy to meet people and build routines at your new duty station.
If you’re a military spouse looking for work at a new duty station, joining a networking group can help. These groups connect you with other spouses and support your career. Spouse networking groups help you build professional relationships, manage career changes and learn local job markets.
Spouse networking groups are an excellent way to combine career advancement with building connections in your new community.
The Military Family Readiness System empowers service members and families with the support and information they need to thrive in their military lives and widen their support networks.
Each service branch has a unit family readiness program, but the names and resources available may differ. Special focus is given to helping spouses and families prepare for short- and long-term deployments, increasing communication between families and unit leadership, and boosting unit morale and a sense of community.
These groups host family-friendly unit activities, where spouses can meet, find support and learn from each other.
Make your new destination home by connecting with your local military community so you can get to your new normal faster.
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